


A Fated Fall

by grandmelon



Series: SouRin Summer Fest 2018 [7]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Never Met, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fate, Fluff, Getting Lost, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 08:05:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15770001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grandmelon/pseuds/grandmelon
Summary: Week/Prompt: 4 - AUIn a world of soulmates and magic, Rin has never felt more alone. Could it be he just doesn't have someone meant for him? While thinking of these things he falls, and is found on Earth by a boy with gorgeous teal eyes.





	A Fated Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Part One! I actually have huge ideas for this, I'm just not sure when I'll be able to finish the next parts since I'm still trying to finish for SR Fest. Next one will be Sousuke's point of view!!! I'm really excited by this, I hope you guys are too!

Silent weeping, alone amongst a thousand pools of distorted light, portals into parts of a world not his own. He wiped at his tears, staring out into a foreign sea, somewhere on the other side. Often, he’d come to cry in the Garden of Gateways, a small portion of the land dedicated to the mischievous entryways to a world that had banished them. A world they had to abandon.

 

“Rin?” a timid voice called. Rin kept his eyes trained on the sun sinking over the horizon. There was always something about Earth that made him wonder, wonder if things would have been different if he was over there. That maybe he wouldn’t feel so alone.

 

“Go away Makoto,” Rin sighed, digging his face into his arms, curled up into a ball. “I don’t want to talk.”

 

“Rin,” his friend sighed, before sitting down next to him and letting a hand rest on his shoulder. “Rin, Ama-sensei says the experiment isn’t really one hundred percent accurate. It could be that your soulmate just shares your element.”

 

“Doubt it. Adachi’s water still turned purple even though his element is water,” Rin argued, uncurling just enough to look back at the setting sun. “What if I just don’t have one? What if I’m meant to be alone? Nagisa can already feel what his soulmate is like—you and Haru have each other already. What if there’s no one out there for me?”

 

“Rin, you don’t really believe that do you?” Makoto whispered, squeezing his shoulder. “We’re here for you. You’re not alone. Soulmates aren’t everything, Ama-sensei hasn’t even met hers, and she’s not looking for them either.”

 

“But she can sense them,” Rin said, looking at him. “She’s sensed them since she was our age. I'm already twelve, I should know something about them, shouldn’t I? At least I should know what their element is. But I can’t feel anything—I don’t feel anything.”

 

“Maybe you’re just having a hard time figuring out which is their magic inside of you and which is yours,” Makoto reasoned. “We’re only kids. Once we get older it might be easier to identify. And besides it’s so small until you meet them.”

 

“How am I supposed to meet him when I know nothing about him?” Rin asked, watching as the scene before him changed from a vast ocean to crashing waves on a beach.

 

“You just will,” Makoto said, humming. “But I don’t think you need to worry. After all, I think you know more than you realize you do.”

 

“What makes you say that?”

 

“Just a feeling,” Makoto said, standing up, a knowing smile on his lips. “I’ll tell Ama-sensei you’re here. She was worried when you ran off. You know the adults don’t like when you hang out here.”

 

Rin said nothing, staring at the new scene in front of him. They were silent for a second before Makoto started to walk off. Rin toyed with his hair, anxiety building in his stomach. “Do you ever wish you were born over there?”

 

The air between them was still, and their eyes met before Makoto gave him a smile. “I’ve never really thought about it, but if we were all over there, I don’t think that’d be so bad.”

 

“Yeah,” Rin said, a small smile gracing his lips before he watched Makoto leave him. He looked and saw a small figure standing at the gate, waiting for him. He rolled his eyes, there was never one without the other after all. They stopped and talked to each other for a bit before Makoto turned back and waved at him.

 

“Rin! I think you should come back with us after all, Haru says Nagisa is scared he made you upset!”

 

Rin frowned, thinking about how it must have looked, him storming off right after Nagisa had figured out what element was connected to his soulmate. “I’m coming!” He called back, standing up. He felt strange as he did, dizzy, out of it, and he stumbled. But before he could register what was happening he was falling, and all he could hear was Makoto and Haru’s yells as he stared into absolute darkness.

 

When he came to, someone was shaking him by the shoulders and shouting in his ears. He tried to bat the hands away, irritated by the pounding ache in his forehead and the nausea settling in his stomach. He blinked open his eyes, stomach lurching when he saw a forest, an unfamiliar forest, with a strikingly dark sky above, covered in dark gray rain clouds, heavy, ready to burst.

 

“You’re awake!” A voice yelled, the hands on his shoulders stilling as he turned his head, focusing on a pair of deep teal eyes. “I saw you fall—were you climbing a tree or something? That's really dangerous, are you hurt badly?”

 

“Who are you,” Rin asked, sitting up and wincing as his palms stung.

 

“Careful, you scrapped up your hands and knees pretty good,” the boy said, grabbing him by the wrist and helping him stand up. “There is a stream right over there, we should wash you off. It’s probably not the best, but it’s better than letting dirt and whatever else get in those cuts.”

 

“Who are you,” Rin asked again, though he followed the boy to the stream. “Where—where am I?”

 

“Couldn’t really tell you,” the boy said with a shrug, crouching by the water and dipping his hand in before motioning the other over. Rin sat down slowly on a large rock, letting the water run over his hands, wincing as they washed the tender skin. “But as for my name, it’s Sousuke. Yamazaki Sousuke. I sort of have family in the area, but I, uh, kind of got lost on our hike. They’ll find me soon though.”

 

“You seem confident. How can you be so sure?” Rin asked, cupping some water in his hands and washing the dirt off his legs.

 

“I get lost a lot,” Sousuke said, a bashful frown on as he shrugged. “Anyways, what’s your name? Are you from around here?”

 

“It’s Matsuoka Rin. And no, I’m not,” Rin said, looking towards the sky for the portal he surely fell through. It was hopeless though, portals were fickle and would change whenever they felt like it. His heart started pounding faster and tears began to well up as he thought about the gravity of his situation. He was sure Makoto and Haru saw him fall, so one of the teachers would find him soon.

 

“Hey,” the boy said, looking at him. Rin was lost in his eyes, heartbeat calming down into a steady thump. “It’ll be okay, we’ll be found soon.”

 

“Yeah,” Rin said, watching as the boy pulled out a small cloth and dipped it in the water, rubbing some of the dirt and rocks from the cuts on his knees. “Ow.”

 

“Sorry,” he said, dipping it in for more water. “You should get those looked at soon. This water should be okay since it’s pretty steady moving, but you never know.”

 

“Thanks,” Rin said. The boy, Sousuke, turned his head back up to the sky and sighed.

 

“There’s going to be a thunderstorm soon. Said it was only supposed to be just some small sunshowers. Are you good to walk?”

 

“How do you know it's going to be a thunderstorm?” he asked, looking up at the dark clouds.

 

“You can smell it?” Sousuke said with a shrug.

 

A loud clap of thunder rattled the forest, and Rin flinched, tears pricking his eyes and shoulders shaking. Sousuke grabbed him by his wrist, pulling him up and running off further into the woods. “What are you doing!”

 

“We should get somewhere safe before it starts to rain,” the boy said, and Rin could only run faster as another streak of light flashed through the sky, a deafening boom following it.

 

The roar of rain coming from behind him had Rin glancing back, a downpour of water chasing them as they ran through the forest. Rin tripped over his own feet as Sousuke yanked him to the side, and up under a large overhang. The water came crashing down on them, wind whipping the trees and Rin pressed himself flat against the rock wall, curling up in a ball and jumping whenever another loud boom hit his ears.

 

“You okay?”

 

“I hate thunderstorms,” he answered, covering his ears. “Really hate them.”

 

“Okay,” the boy said, sitting close to him. Before Rin could ask him what he was doing, there was an arm around him, holding him close. “It’ll be okay. It should be over soon.”

 

Rin said nothing.

 

It was over soon, or at least, the lightning and thunder had passed. The relentless rain, however, had no signs of stopping, and the air began to chill. His cheeks felt frozen, the wind blowing against them bitter and dampening them with the rain drops it brought towards them. His companion didn’t seem to be fairing much better, he was dressed lightly, a shirt and shorts only. Rin had been dressed warmer, he had been at school after all, and the castle halls were always rather cold.

 

“Sousuke,” Rin mumbled, watching the other turn to him, his face white except the tips of his nose and ears. “Are you alright?”

 

“Yeah,” Sousuke said, though there was a gentle tremble to his words. “It’s pretty cold, huh? Must be because we’re closer to the mountain.”

 

“You—can you,” Rin stuttered, stopping himself. He frowned, feeling the chill making his own bones ache when another gust of wind blew by. “Well, just. Don’t move okay?”

 

Sousuke’s eyebrows scrunched up in confusion as Rin crossed his legs, getting comfortable before putting his hands in front of him. He wasn’t supposed to show a human, but he also wasn’t supposed to be on Earth in the first place. And if things continued, they’d both get very sick, at best. He felt Sousuke’s arm slip from his shoulders and concentrated on the warmth in his core, the way it flowed through his veins, gathering in his hands. A soft crackle of fire, the warmth of a hug, the brightness of the sun. He opened his eyes.

 

A soft ball of fire, flickering and twisting in his hands, throwing off enough heat to make Rin’s shoulders ease, his trembling subsiding. He sat the fire on the ground in front of him, on a small rock to hold its physical form. Once it was set and he was sure it wouldn’t go out, he looked at Sousuke, watching the other, jaw dropped and staring at the fire in awe.

 

“Uh,” he said, looking at Rin for an answer. Rin just gave him an uneasy smile.

 

“Don’t tell anyone, okay?” Rin said, watching as Sousuke nodded, putting out his hands to get warmed by the fire. “Don’t touch it—don’t get too close either. I’m still new to it so I’m not sure how well I did it.”

 

“Sure thing,” Sousuke said, face brightening up and color returning to his purpling lips. “Can, uh, I ask you something though?”

 

“Sure,” Rin said, leaning towards the fire to warm his cheeks.

 

“When you said you weren’t from around here,” Sousuke started, glancing him out of the corner of his eye. “Where exactly did you come from?”

 

“It’s a long story,” Rin said, reaching his hand forward and watching how the fire curled around his hand, warm, loving. “I kind of fell through a portal?”

 

“Right,” Sousuke mumbled, though he didn’t look entirely convinced. “Well, thank you. I was cold.”

 

“Yeah, no problem,” Rin said, cheeks warming for a different reason as their shoulders brushed together. “Thank you for earlier. I really don’t do well in storms.”

 

“No problem,” Sousuke mumbled, shrugging.

 

The downpour of rain didn’t let up, and Rin started chewing at his lip, wondering how hard it’d be for someone to find him like this. He wasn’t near where the portal had dropped him, and before that they’d still have to figure out what portal he had fell in. “So,” Rin said, pulling his legs back up to his chest. Trying to think of something to talk about, something to distract him. “This is my first time here.”

 

“By here do you mean the country or,” Sousuke asked, looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

 

“First time on Earth?” Rin supplied, a grin as Sousuke looked like at him with flapping lips, an open book.

 

“I don’t mean to be rude but are you okay in the head?” Sousuke asked, facing him. “I mean I don’t really understand the whole—fire super powers—or whatever, but I guess I can kind of reason that happening. But first time on Earth? Seriously, where are you from? Is it like a government secret or something?”

 

“What,” Rin said, before busting out laughing. “I’m serious, I’m not from here. But I guess it’s true that my people used to be from here.”

 

“Your people?” Sousuke asked. “There’s more of you?” Rin looked at the rain and wondered if it was okay to tell him. He was just one boy. No adult would believe him. And either way, Rin had a feeling he wouldn’t tell anyone.

 

“I come from a world somewhat like this one, it was made in its likeness I guess. We were chased from here for our magic,” Rin said, motioning towards the fire. “Since the beginning of time people were afraid of us. So, to avoid the violence and threats, our ancestors fled with the help of someone powerful, the most gifted of all of us. They say that the portals are left overs of a great gateway that they had made for everyone to move.”

 

A second of silence passed between them and Sousuke nudged a rock with his toe. Rin wrapped his arms around himself as he watched the fire in front of him.

 

“Magic, huh,” Sousuke said, humming. “So, like, can you turn people in frogs and stuff?”

 

“What?” Rin said, chuckling. “No, why would I be able to do that?”

 

“Well,” he shrugged. “What about making things fly?”

 

“Eventually,” Rin reasoned. “It’s not my element though, so it’ll take me a long time to master that.”

 

“Element?” Sousuke asked, tilting his head and Rin flushed for reasons he couldn’t explain.

 

“Yeah. All magic is based off of the elements, and you have a natural connection to one when you’re born. Everything in the universe is just the same stuff put together differently, so the power of the elements can translate into a lot of different stuff. Just not, uh, turning people into frogs,” Rin said with an amused smirk as Sousuke blushed.

 

“Look it happens in movies and stuff, okay?”

 

“Movies,” Rin said, “I wonder what they’re like.”

 

“Huh?” Sousuke blinked and Rin smiled at him, the fire getting a little bigger.

 

“We cross over a lot—or at least the adults do. That’s why we have a lot of the same stuff as you guys, but the school I go to doesn’t allow us to bother with ‘earthly entertainment’ because it’ll distract us from our studies.”

 

“Sounds like a boring school,” Sousuke said, grinning. “But I guess that explains why you can speak Japanese, though your accent is kind of funny. So, is your element fire or something?”

 

“Yeah,” Rin said, toying with his hair. “The same as my mom and sister’s. My dad’s was earth though.”

 

“Was?”

 

Rin froze up, feeling Sousuke’s eyes on him as he curled up around himself. “Yeah, he’s not with us anymore.”

 

“By that do you mean—,” Sousuke started, a distant rumble reaching them. Rin flinched.

 

“I hate storms,” Rin said, looking at him, neither boy said any more.

 

Some distant thunder and a few more gushes of rain, and just like that the rain drizzled out until there were only droplets falling off tree leaves whenever the wind blew. Rin let his fire disappear, taking the hand that was offered him as they made their way out from under the overhang and down the small hill. The hand that helped him out didn’t let go of his, and Rin smiled to himself, feeling less anxious about what was to come. As though holding Sousuke’s hand had the power to keep anything bad from happening.

 

“Are the people looking for you going to be able to find you even though we’re not where you fell?”

 

Rin looked at Sousuke, who had a thoughtful look on his face, and Rin nodded. Sousuke smiled then, and started walking forward, tugging Rin along, a look of determination in his eyes. “The portal probably moved already anyhow,” Rin said. “But where are you going? I thought you were lost too.”

 

“If it doesn’t matter where you are, you can stay with me. My aunt and cousin should be looking for me right now,” Sousuke said with a shrug. “They’ll find us soon. You can even stay for dinner if you like.”

 

“I’ll probably have to leave as soon as one of the teachers find me,” Rin said, biting back a grin. “And remember you can’t tell them where I came from.”

 

“They wouldn’t believe me anyways,” Sousuke said with a huff of a laugh. “Who would believe that a wizard fell out of the sky.”

 

“I’m not exactly a wizard,” Rin said, words being drowned out by a booming voice coming from in front of them. Before he could move a tall figure was running for them, scooping up Sousuke like he was a child.

 

“Sousuke! I told you not to wander off like that!” the older boy said, squeezing him tight as Sousuke wheezed. He set Sousuke down, and Rin laughed at the bashful face the other gave him, embarrassed by being picked up.

 

 “I’m fine Kazuma,” Sousuke said, brushing off his cousin, or so Rin assumed. An older female figure came into view some ways down a dirt path, calling out to them.

 

“Kazuma?” the boy said, crossing his arms, raising an eyebrow at Sousuke before Sousuke flushed.

 

“I said I’m fine Kazu-nii,” he mumbled, glancing at Rin before directing his eyes at the ground. Rin shifted on his feet, grabbing his elbow as the older boy’s eyes moved to him.

 

“And who is this?” he said, elbowing Sousuke with a grin. “Is she why you ran off?”

 

“I’m not,” Rin started, interrupted as Sousuke sputtered.

 

“No! I found him lost in the woods too! And he’s not a girl,” Sousuke said, crossing his arms. “We just ran into each other before the rain started.”

 

“Ah, is that so,” the older boy said, smiling at Rin. “My names Kazuma, nice to meet you!”

 

“Sousuke are you alright!?” the older woman cried out, finally meeting up with them. She put a hand on his cheek, turning his face this way and that. “Where on earth did you run off to. You’re cold, aren’t you? I told you to wear your jacket. You’re lucky you didn’t get rained on!”

 

“I’m fine Auntie,” Sousuke said, though he let the woman manhandle him as she checked him for any injuries. Rin giggled as he watched the difference in his attitude towards her. Once she was satisfied she turned to Rin, a smile on her face.

 

“And who might you be? Are you from around here? Where are your parents?”

 

Rin looked at Sousuke and Sousuke walked over to his side. “My name is Rin, it’s nice to meet you.”

 

“Rin’s not from here Auntie, he’s on a school trip,” Sousuke said with a shrug. “He got separated but his teachers are probably looking for him. Can he stay with us until they find him?”

 

“If he got separated from his class we should go back to the trail entrance,” Sousuke’s aunt said. “Rin-kun are you feeling okay? It must have been scary being lost.”

 

“I’m fine,” Rin said, smiling softly. “Sousuke found me so it wasn't too scary.”

 

“Well I’m glad you two are alright,” she said, pulling a jacket over Sousuke. “Everyone is probably worried sick right now. Let’s head back before it gets too dark.”

 

Kazuma lead the way, glancing back at the two of them and grinning. Sousuke’s aunt seemed comfortable bringing up the back, making sure they all stayed together as they followed the path down a steep hill. Rin slipped once, the rain turning the path into a muddy slide, but Sousuke caught him. Rin held onto Sousuke’s elbow as they continued, using him to catch his balance whenever he lost his footing.

 

“So how old are you Rin-kun?” Sousuke’s aunt asked. Rin and Sousuke hopped over a puddle, slamming into Kazuma’s back as they lost balance.

 

“Sorry,” Rin mumbled, curling a little further into Sousuke’s side. Though he had a bright and friendly smile Rin felt nervous around these two new figures and their questions. “I’m twelve years old.”

 

“I’m turning thirteen in a week,” Sousuke supplied with a grin. “Guess that means I’m older.”

 

“Barely,” Rin teased, jabbing an elbow into Sousuke’s side before they walked across a small wooden bridge, a clearing with some cars coming up.

 

“I don’t see any busses,” Kazuma said. “Did they leave without you?”

 

“Maybe we should call the police station, they might be there reporting you missing,” the older woman said, a hand on her cheek. “What school did you say you attend dear? Do you know their contact number?” Rin saw a flash out of the corner of his eye and turned, seeing Ama-sensei and his mom standing at the edge of the woods.

 

“There’s no need for that ma’am, I think they found me,” Rin said with a grin, turning to Sousuke. “Well, it was nice meeting you Sousuke.”

 

“Oh. Uh, yeah, it was nice meeting you too,” Sousuke said, rubbing the back of his neck. Rin smiled and gave him a hug, feeling the other freeze up in his embrace.

 

“Thank you for staying with me until they found me,” Rin said, stepping back and tucking his hair behind his ears. Sousuke’s cheeks were red and Rin giggled. “Bye.”

 

“Bye,” Sousuke said, and Rin ran off to his mom. He heard Sousuke’s aunt and cousin start bombarding him with questions and calling for Rin to come back before his mother grabbed his hand, pulling him into a crushing hug.

 

“Mom, I’m sorry,” Rin cried, hugging her tight.

 

“I’m glad you’re safe,” she said, kissing his cheek. “Let’s go home now, okay? Thank Amakata-sensei for coming to find you.”

 

“Thanks, Ama-sensei,” Rin said, wiping his tears. He watched Amakata walk towards the group. “Ama-sensei?”

 

“It’ll be a problem if they remember this,” she said with a sigh. Before he could stop her, she was opening a bag and throwing some dust on them, all three of them looking alarmed as she did so, Sousuke’s aunt had her cell phone out, trying to call for help. Once she finished they looked as if in a daze, and she threw up an invisible wall that was meant to distort their view of them before walking back to the edge of the forest where she left them. “Don’t worry Matsuoka-kun, they’ll be fine. We just don’t want them to worry about a boy they think has gone missing.”

 

“Right,” Rin mumbled, watching as the dust settled and Kazuma and Sousuke’s aunt looked unperturbed, walking to their car as if nothing happened. Sousuke was still standing there, looking in his direction.

 

As he grabbed the two women’s hands, letting them pull him up and into a portal Ama-sensei had opened, he thought he saw Sousuke wave to him. Rin cranked his head back further, watching the world before him disappear as they traveled back home.

 

Everyone was there waiting for his return, Nagisa and Makoto crushing him in a hug, his classmates talking all at once about how worried they were and asking about what he had seen. He thought he’d be ecstatic being back, and that going through a portal and seeing Earth would be something amazing to brag about to his friends. All his friends were asking what it was like, but he found that the moment they had exited back into the garden and the portal sealed up he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. There was no relief, no excitement in his return. He didn’t want the attention, he just wanted to be left alone.

 

He felt lonelier than when he left.

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr Post](http://melonmachinery.tumblr.com/post/177291729988/a-fated-fall-grandmelon-free-archive-of-our)   
>  [Twitter Post](https://twitter.com/melonmachinery/status/1032448743050825728)


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